Symphony News

Cabrillo High School Student Wins International Trombone Competition in Spain

September 09, 2015

Cabrillo High musician is a member of the S.B. Youth Symphony

Santa Barbara, CA — Cabrillo High School senior Connor Rowe recently took top honors in the Gilberto Gagliardi Tenor Trombone Competition in Valencia, Spain. The contest was one of several that took place as part of the 2015 International Trombone Festival held between July 8 and 11 in Valencia. The 17-year-old Lompoc resident was awarded a Schilke large-bore trombone for his winning performance.

Violins galore!

August 19, 2015

Last Saturday, the Santa Barbara Symphony's Music Van violins made a special appearance at the Santa Barbara Bowl in conjunction with electronic violinist Lindsey Stirling's performance. Audience members got to try their hand at playing a violin with help from Music Van docents and staff members. We loved seeing people of all ages, experience levels, musicians and non-musicians alike stop by our table and experience the joy and excitement of the Music Van!

Special thanks to the Santa Barbara Bowl for this wonderful partnership. Check out some of our photos.

Music Van at the Santa Barbara Bowl August 15th

August 04, 2015

Electronic violinist Lindsey Stirling, is coming to the Santa Barbara Bowl on Saturday, August 15 at 7:00 PM. Special guest Lights will open the show. The Santa Barbara Bowl has invited the Santa Barbara Symphony's Music Van to be at the concert as part of the Santa Barbara Bowl's education outreach. The Santa Barbara Symphony is excited for this partnership, and for the opportunity to expose audience members to the world of classical instruments. Our Music Van docents and staff members will be on site with violins for everyone to try out!

The show will support Lindsey’s critically acclaimed sophomore album Shatter Me, which according to Neilson, was the #1 and #2 best-selling Electronic album in 2014. Released on April 29, 2014 via Lindsey’s own label Lindseystomp Records, Shatter Me debuted at #2 on Billboard’s Top 200 Chart, #1 on the iTunes Album Chart, and spent an impressive 21 weeks straight at the #1 spot on the Billboard Classical Album Chart.

Seeking solutions to some of the most serious challenges in its 63-year history, the Santa Barbara Symphony has turned to newly-appointed executive director, David Pratt, to help fashion a new business model.

Pratt, an out-going native of Australia with an international track record of success, was selected as its new executive director at a time when the majority of symphonies across the U.S. are being faced with complex financial difficulties. These have been caused primarily by a combination of the economic downturn, an aging season-ticket and donor base, and competition from the Internet and other entertainment sources.

“There is no doubt that for us, like most other symphonies, it can’t be business as usual anymore,” said Pratt, who led major marketing missions throughout the world for various Australian and U.S. music and film organizations before serving as the executive director for the Savannah Philharmonic in Georgia for the past five years. “But, Santa Barbara is a special city, with a high level of culture, and I am confident that we can meet these challenges head-on. We plan to continue to provide the beautiful classical music productions this symphony is known for, but we will need to create some innovative new programs as well. I’m excited to get started.”

The Santa Barbara community has long been one of the most supportive on the West Coast, but Pratt and the symphony Board of Directors now must figure out how to reach out to the next generation, one that grew up listening to the Beatles and rock music. Bringing the baby boomers into the classical world at a time when finances are still tight for many is not going to be a simple task, but Pratt is enthusiastic about the possibilities.

“We’re already working on a number of potential new programs to reach out into the community, because we believe there are many people here who would quickly get hooked on classical musical if they were more exposed to it,” he said. “For example, we will expand our collaboration in the 2015-16 season partnering with The Ensemble Theatre Co. for Mendelssohn’s incidental music to Midsummer Night’s Dream as part of our November concert, and there is a fabulous collaboration with the State Street Ballet, Choral Society and the Center for the Performing Arts presenting Carmina Burana as our season opener in October."

In the longer term, Pratt said he is also working on the timing of providing one major concert that will be free to the public. The symphony already has an entire suite of education programs available to area students and it plans to continue and expand those, while widening its musical repertoire.

“We’ll be offering concerts not just for core classical lovers, but for those who enjoy more mainstream music, such as popular film sound tracks,” he said. “Our challenge will be to achieve just the right balancing act, to please our primary supporters and the orchestra musicians, while attracting new fans. It’s really important that we get that balance right.”

Pratt, who grew up in Sydney, Australia, and attended the University of Melbourne, previously served as senior event manager of the G’Day USA Festival, where he created and managed a series of arts, cultural and music events in several U.S. cities. He also held a senior management position with Australia’s largest orchestra, the Sydney Symphony, and he managed several fundraising events for the Sydney Opera House. He served for seven years as the Australian Film Commissioner in Los Angeles, promoting Australia’s film and TV production sector.

“I feel very fortunate to be in Santa Barbara,” he said. “It is an extraordinary community in that it supports such a wide array of incredible cultural offerings and that’s exciting. Part of what we plan to do is to understand exactly what this community wants, and then provide it in a way that people know they don’t have to leave town to get world-class entertainment.”

Antioch in Conversation with Nir Kabaretti

Maestro Nir Kabaretti, Music and Artistic Director for the Santa Barbara Symphony, will speak at Antioch University Santa Barbara as the next featured guest in the “Antioch In Conversation” series on Wednesday, April 8, 2015, from 4:30 to 6pm.

Kabaretti will discuss a variety of subjects – including topics related to conductors, musicians, symphonies, and opera companies. Newly appointed Symphony Executive Director David Pratt will introduce Kabaretti and also explain issues facing regional symphonies such as Santa Barbara’s. The audience will be able to mingle with Kabaretti and Pratt at a pre-program reception, with light refreshments beginning at 4:30 p.m. in the AUSB Community Hall. Both will participate in an audience Q&A session at the end of the evening.

Born in Israel, Kabaretti has built an impressive résumé in both symphonic and operatic styles across the globe. He showed musical talent at an early age, studying first at the Rubin Academy of Music at Tel Aviv University and then at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna.

After graduating, Kabaretti was appointed chorus master at the Vienna State Opera and the Salzburg Festival. In 2002, he was named Principal Conductor of Israel’s Raanana Symphonette Orchestra before joining the Santa Barbara Symphony. Kabaretti also has served as the Music Director for the Southwest Florida Symphony since 2012.

The maestro has worked with some of the biggest names in music, including Lang Lang, Placido Domingo, Itzhak Perlman, and Hélène Grimaud. Kabaretti also has been selected to serve as guest conductor for orchestras around the world: Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Orchestra del Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, and Orquesta Filarmonica de Buenos Aires, just to name a few.

[David Pratt] Kabaretti also has an operatic background that has featured his work on productions with the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Teatro Real in Madrid, Opéra de Lausanne, The New National Theatre in Tokyo, Opera Santa Barbara, and more.

Australian native David Pratt recently joined the Santa Barbara Symphony as Executive Director after serving in the same position for the Savannah Philharmonic. Pratt also has held senior positions for the G’Day USA Festival connecting the U.S. and Australia, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the Australian Festival of Chamber of Music, and the Melbourne Film Office for the State of Victoria.

The event is free and open to the public. Seating is limited and available on a first-come basis.

[Noozhawk] Santa Barbara Symphony Program Explores the Romantic Soul

February 13, 2015

The Santa Barbara Symphony, under guest conductor Steven Sloane, will send us a deluxe Valentine's Day greeting for this month's concerts, at 8 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday in the Granada Theatre.

Manfred Lord Byron’s Manfred inspired many artists, including German painter Caspar David Friedrich. The concerts, called "Valentine’s Love Letters," will also feature the talents of pianist Natasha Kislenko, actor Peter Strauss and director Jonathan Fox (of the Ensemble Theatre Co.).

The concerts are organized around the possibility that there was a "famous love triangle" involving the composer Robert Schumann (1810-1856), his wife, the pianist and composer, Clara Josephine Wieck Schumann (1819-1896), and Schumann's young protégé, the composer Johannes Brahms (1833-1897). Between performances of their works, Peter Strauss will read selections from their letters to each other.

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The Santa Barbara Symphony was founded in 1953 on the belief that a special city deserves a special orchestra. For over 60 years, the Symphony has been lauded for its unique ability to deliver brilliant concerts, engage the community and deliver powerful music education programs.